


Sleeplessness

by sariane



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Handcuffs, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Bondage, agent carter inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-08
Updated: 2015-04-08
Packaged: 2018-03-21 20:31:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3704143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sariane/pseuds/sariane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky can't sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeplessness

**Author's Note:**

> Written after an idea came to me during class and [posted to tumblr](http://sarriane.tumblr.com/post/110128159550) for thehulkbuster. 
> 
> Light spoilers for Agent Carter, where I got the idea. 
> 
> Warnings:  
> -PTSD recovery  
> -Handcuffs/light non-sexual bondage

I.

Steve wakes up to an avalanche of sounds: a muffled scream and sobs, thrashing bodies, tearing fabric, and the whirring of a metal arm. He jolts up from the hotel room floor in a fighting stance.

It takes a moment for him to catch up, for him to look through the darkened room to see Natasha standing in front of him, holding up her hand. She moves to sit on the mattress beside Bucky — Bucky, who’s torn through his starchy hotel sheets in his fervor.

Everything crashes down on Steve in that moment. This is Bucky, sitting in front of him with wide, haunted eyes. He relaxes at the sight, although it isn’t exactly a relief. Steve may have never thought he’d see Bucky again, but he'd never thought he’d see Bucky like this.

“Everything okay?” Sam asks softly from the other bed. Steve spares him a glance, and they exchange a quick look. It’s only been days since they found him, and they still aren’t sure what to do. Steve thanks his lucky stars Bucky’s even here in this room.

Natasha slowly and carefully slides closer to Bucky to lean forwards and whisper in his ear. They exchange a few murmurs before Natasha straightens up and looks at Sam and Steve.

“Go back to bed,” she says in a low tone. “Steve, take my spot. I won’t need it.”

Steve doesn’t second guess her. He crawls into bed beside Sam and lies back, as though he’s going to sleep. Sam pats Steve on the shoulder before he turns on his side to go back to sleep. They both trust Natasha unquestioningly by now.

Even so, Steve watches the two of them through his eyelids under the guise of falling asleep.

Natasha’s whispers fall muffled on Steve’s ears, but they’re a comforting sound. They’re light and indecipherable, just the sound of her S’s slipping through her lips. Bucky doesn’t say much. His mutters, rough and deep, remind Steve’s tired mind of old moments, lost to time.

He hears Bucky say something, “Does it help?” -- but not Natasha’s reply. They murmur to each other for a few more quiet minutes while Steve watches their silhouettes lean into each other. Bucky’s hair is dark, contrasting with Natasha’s red hair when he says something in her ear. Natasha smiles sadly and pats his hand.

Steve pretends to sleep while Natasha gets up from the bed and heads over to her bags. Bucky lies back, but he watches Natasha carefully. Steve can’t move to see what she’s getting.

She returns to Bucky’s side, leaning over him with something until he mutters, “No, the left. They always —” and then quiets.

Steve doesn’t realize what she’s doing until she’s handcuffing Bucky’s left robotic arm to the headboard of the hotel bed. He almost calls out in protest, but then Natasha lies right down next to him and smartly cuffs her wrist right next to his. Then, they’re silent.

Steve watches them for a long moment, so quiet and so still that he’s not sure if he’s dreaming or not when Bucky says,

“Steve. Go to sleep.”

So he does.

*

II.

It’s been a long year. It’s been a long night, filled with nightmares and pain, when Steve finally asks Bucky to crawl into bed with him. Bucky doesn’t hesitate, but Steve does when he reaches forward.

Wrapping his fingers around Bucky’s left wrist, Steve pulls it up to his chest. It’s cold to the touch, but Steve won’t flinch.

“Is this okay?” he asks in the gentlest, most unshaken voice he can manage. Bucky gives him a long, somewhat startled look.

“Yeah,” Bucky mutters.

Steve curls up besides Bucky in his bed, holding onto his wrist like a lifeline.

Finally, they sleep.


End file.
